2,034 stories by "Brian Logan"
Pleasance Above, Edinburgh"This show," runs the warning at the start of Richard Herring's new set, Talking Cock, "may contain knob gags." Oh, just a few. The knob gag is …
The US comedian is frustrated at having been labelled, but she should be pleased with the responses to her frank and challenging HBO specialIs Amy Schumer a "sex comic"? That's the debate th…
Brighton CentreA familiar cast of indelible comic characters and pithy catchphrases imbue the veteran duo's live show with a comforting glowTo open their first live show, commemorating 25 ye…
Brighton CentreDespite joking that they might expire before the Legends tour finishes, their classic characters keep us smiling even when the jokes fall shortTo open their first live show, c…
Boyle sues the Mirror for libel, Silverman learns not to cross a rabbi, and Stephen K Amos gets the last " and longest " laughWe've been arguing about "offensive" comedy for years.…
Cliffs Pavilion, Southend-on-SeaBoyle delivers his vicious one-liners as palate cleansers between heartfelt routines beating us for our bovine acquiescence to political authority"It's not al…
Little Angel, London"I know what you're thinking," says Rob Newman, introducing another riff on genetics, social Darwinism and the high-water mark of free-market capitalism: "…
Two new TV series " Together and The Almost Impossible Gameshow " demonstrate how live acts as unique as Jonny Sweet and the Rubberbandits can find the funny to suit different formatsI wrote…
Richard Gadd carved a cult reputation for himself with schlocky shows full of drugs, sex and gore. Now, in Waiting for Gaddot, he's pushing his audience even further " by threatening not to …
Bloomsbury theatre, London Continue reading...
The Forum, LondonWith nothing more to prove, the self-assured US comic who exposed Bill Cosby is able to take seemingly innocuous material to unexpected places"Well, that situation got out o…
Brixton Academy, LondonThe US standup likes to shock, but not just for the sake of it: he does it because conventional wisdom needs questioningAt one point in his new touring set, the Arizon…
When his first solo show flopped, Kieran Hodgson feared he wasn't interesting enough to be a comic. Then the disgraced cyclist gave his career a shot in the armYou'd have a job imagining any…
Novelty singles gave this art form a bad rap but acts such as Flight of the Conchords and Frisky and Mannish have brought it countercultural cachetIt was like taking a step back in time, wat…
G-Live, GuildfordWiddicombe's tone of plaintive adenoidal consternation is as funny as his best gagsThere are words, of course: about contactless debit cards, about secret Santa, about an em…
A New York Times article suggests that 'public truth-telling has become the responsibility of comedians'. For evidence, look to Tig Notaro, Bridget Christie and Shazia MirzaUnfunny jokes are…
Hammersmith Apollo, LondonTwo hours of machine-tooled musical parody cover every big chart hit since the early 80sThe artwork for Weird Al Yankovic's album and tour posits the "white and ner…
O2 Arena, London The comedian delivers a decidedly unadventurous set, but manages to fashion unpromising raw material into killer lines and vivid comic images Related: Michael McIntyre spy-c…
In a recent glossary of theatre terminology, our own Michael Billington translated the term 'devised play' as 'a total mess'. Let's clear it up: that's nonsense.Prism of success... Devised t…
Leicester Square Theatre, London"It doesn't interest me," said Jerry Sadowitz in a recent interview, when asked about his now notorious 1980s routine that branded Jimmy Savile a pa…
Leicester Square theatre, LondonTonight sees bilious US comic Doug Stanhope at his best and worst. When his scorn and loathing is intelligently applied, he tears away the veil of socialised …
Tricycle, LondonThere are laughs to be had in Mirza's passionate, taboo-busting comedy but she's let down by duff puns and an aversion to logical argumentShazia Mirza dislikes performing to …
Soho theatre, LondonIn a richly strange set, this year's Edinburgh award-winner snorts cereal, obsesses over the audience's legwear and acts out everyday annoyancesIt's a rare feat to win bo…
A new documentary suggests comedians are tortured geniuses, a breed apart. But it's time to forget the tears-of-a-clown cliche " they're just regular people working hard at their craftWith h…
The Invisible Dot, LondonThe Canadian comedian questions our rigid stereotypes of gender and sexuality, with the aid of some goofy anecdotes A review of Mae Martin's first comedy gig, aged 1…
